Do Black Women Care About Motherhood and Parenting?
Friday, November 30, 2007
A quick jaunt around the Net will let you know several things about black media. The one thing that sticks out to me the most, especially the major black Web sites such as Essence.com and AOL Black Voices, is their consistent lack of coverage of parenting issues. What I tend to find is in-depth coverage of celebs, sports, living a fabulous life, and stories about national crises, for example. It seems to me that regular coverage of family and parenting issues is constantly on the back burner.On the other hand, if you seek out parenting information that is primarily geared to white families, there is no end to web sites, books, magazines and even television shows out there to choose from. They're veritably endless, to be sure. But in the black community, however, there are very, very few. Why do you think this is the case? Do you think black mothers and fathers really care about parenting? Do you think mainstream parenting media is well-suited to black families and there is no real need for black parenting media? Do you think parenting information largely falls on deaf ears in the black community? We'd love to hear your thoughts.
Labels: parenting
posted by Jennifer James @ Friday, November 30, 2007,
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The Hard Choice for Black Women: Barack or Hillary?
Thursday, November 29, 2007
The Atlanta Constitution ran an excellent article today, Spelman Women ponder Obama vs. Clinton, highlighting the huge decision black women must face next year: vote for Barack or vote for Hillary. Indeed, it is a hard choice to make especially when both candidates are so very capable of winning the democratic nomination. Plus, I've heard countless times: If we get Hillary, we get Bill again. What do you think? Should more black women support Hillary because she has a better chance of winning it all? Or, do you think black people are selling out because more are not lending their support to Obama?
On the Web:
Hillary at the Women of Color Luncheon
Black Mothers for Obama
African-Americans for Obama
Photo Source: BarackObama.com
Labels: politics
posted by Jennifer James @ Thursday, November 29, 2007,
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Outlawing Spanking
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
We all know the biblical teaching of spare the rod and spoil the child. We have also been taught that spanking is bad for children, at least according to parenting philosophies pushed by nouveau parents and progressive psychologists. Now Massachusetts may become the very first state in the country to outlaw spanking altogether.Spanking has always been a mainstay in the black community, of course stemming from slavery when it meant horrible consequences if we did not keep our children in order. At 33-years-old I don't know a single black person who was not spanked as a child. I even got a few swats on my backside as a child when I was clearly doing wrong. I'm glad my parents cared enough to discipline me instead of allowing me to have my way.
Some people view spanking as child abuse and others believe spanking is an adequate teaching and discipline tool that all parents should have the right to use in the confines of their own homes. But some Massachusetts legislators don't see it that way; they want to ban spanking and impose jail time on parents who use it as a disciplinary tool.
What do you think? Is Massachusetts on the right path or have they veered way of course?
Labels: children, in the news
posted by Jennifer James @ Wednesday, November 28, 2007,
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Black Women and Breast Cancer
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
All this week NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams is airing a special series about African-American women. Tonight, Dr. Nancy Snyderman reported on the increasing number of African-American women who are getting breast cancer at younger ages and the type of breast cancer that is extremely difficult to treat. I, for one, am glad the information is getting out that black women need to get early onset screening, but there is a huge point that has been missed: breastfeeding. I am almost positive many African-American women have no idea that they can lessen their likelihood of getting breast cancer by simply breastfeeding. And even if a mother cannot breastfeed exclusively, something is certainly better than nothing.
On my Black Breastfeeding Blog, I have mentioned many times before that I breastfed both of my daughters for two years each. I did it as much for their health and well-being as my own. I know that breastfeeding provides great natural healing and health for women and babies. More African-American women simply need to breastfed and I guarantee some of these breast cancer numbers would decrease.
Let me know what you think.
Labels: health
posted by Jennifer James @ Tuesday, November 27, 2007,
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